Arctic Circle Ale | Malmgårdin Panimo

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Reviews by TheGrunt:

Nice Sahti-type beer. Dark muddy colour, almost nil foam and light carbonation. For some reason I can't get anything special out of the smell. Nice, but somehow bland taste: it's without any special kick.

I think this is a nice Sahti-type beer. I'm no huge fan of sahti, so I don't get specially excited from this either. Sahti fans like this probably very much, that I can say.

More User Reviews:

Picked up during a trip to Baton Rouge. Not my first Sahti, but my first Sahti that was brewed in Finland. Excited to try this one, as it is also my first beer from Finland.

The beer pours a dark brown-orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the caramel and toffee malt. I don't get the juniper in the aroma. That being said, the juniper is present in the flavor. I also get some smoked malt and and toffee, as well as a little bit of chocolate. All of the flavors meld well together and make an enjoyable beer. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Taste & Mouthfeel: big, rich toffee flavour aggressively coats the palate, bringing to mind a scotch ale; a whisper of hops cuts the sweetness, and coupled with light spice notes - now almost completely indistinguishable - it leaves a dry, mildly burnt finish, eager for another sip; reading a couple reviews after I did mine, flavours I couldn't quite identify in the finish were likely contributed by the juniper, interesting

Overall: great aroma, big flavour, easy drinking, and not overwhelmingly sweet when it could easily have been - could still treat this like a dessert beer though, it gives a delightful sense of sticky toffee pudding

Aromas are reminiscent of some Belgian ales from the past, sweet molasses, spicy wood and herbs with red apple sauce dominating the olfactory sense. Very appealing...

Initial mouthfeel is fresh and lively, dry yet satisfyingly rich in flavors. Again, a slightly sour Flanders red ale comes to mind when comparing this to anything I've had before. An incense-like tannic sensation on top of a minor alcohol burn on the finish reveals the juniper clearly, but not in any intrusive way.

Everything is balanced perfectly for me and it goes down way too smooth considering the 7.9% ABV.

(Served in a tulip glass)
A- This beer pours a jet brown body that is very dense with some sticky light tan foam and some microbubble in slow motion trailing up the sides of the glass.
S- The dark dry toffee smell has some gentle roasted malt notes and a spicy peppery cola note in the finish.
T- The soft caramel dark flavors have a slight roasted quality to them with a soft spun sugar note in the background. There is a nice pepper note in the finish with a soft pine flavor that is not hoppy.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat.
D- The nice caramel flavor taste like the wort had a long boil with some nice spice finish that is not hoppy but balances the sweetness nicely.

Been hunting for this one for a few months now - glad to see one during Winter (even if it is nearly 80F here in Los Angeles). Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Body is a hazy sienna topped by three fingers of unstable rocky buff foam which recdes to a half finger with decent lacing and a faint sheen of legs.

The juniper is up-front initially when you open the bottle. After the beer settles a bit in the glass subsequent whiffs bring on more nuance with a delicate presence of hops. A light malt scent merges with a weak tea aroma to round out the nose. No spices, yeast, or alcohol is noted.

Very woodsy palate entry - herbaceous and earthy, like a pine heavy IPA except this is a Juniper forest. Some caramel and toasted malt. Mellow fruit with a dab of honey blends with the malt which leads into a very mild bitterness, cleaning up the finish. The aftertaste is surprisingly roasty. The water seems notably pure, when combined with the juniper, it brings to mind a clear mountain stream.

Medium-light bodied, with excellent carbonation.

All in all a unique concoction that has elements of some American Amber ales as well as some components of an English Bitter - all filtered through a Finnish prism. Subtle but worth seeking out.

Hazy, dark amber color with tan head. Aroma has sweet caramel malt, brown sugar but also an astringent note. Taste startssweet with brown sugar and dried fruit notes, gets more bitter in the middle taste with some earthy/woody flavor and finishes even more bitter with a lingering charred wood note. Medium body with medium to low carbonation. Overall it's an interesting style of beer but not something to really seek out.

Pour: dark auburn color with a short, thin head, surprisingly low carbonation.
Smell: strong malty characteristics, dark rye with a distinct hoppiness and only a slight hint of juniper
Taste: a nice warming maltiness with more juniper flavor then the smell hints. The hoppiness tends to distract from the beer for my personal taste but an overall excellent winter beer, even if it's not quite winter yet.

Pouring out like a still beer....hmmmm, wondering if there's a problem. No head at all. Got some molasses on the nose, and of all things, Brennivin (the black death national drink of Iceland). yeah, go figure. I like the flavor, but it seems muted. My second Sahti; DFH being the first and that beer was friggin over the top. I'm going to let it warm a bit and see what happens. Well, not alot of change after waiting 10 minutes or so. It's decent, and I'm enjoying it, but if I find yet another Sahti to try, I'll move on. No need to come back to this one.

Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a small tight off white head that settles into a frothy ring.

The aroma is sweet with dark fruit. Lots of prune and raisin, reminds me of an old ale. Some toffee and caramel. Very sweet.

The taste is sweet, though not as sweet as the aroma. Lots of raisins and grapes, sweet toffee malt. I don't get a lot of twiggy juniper. Not sure if this is an old sample but the juniper faded, its not there. Perhaps a light sour berry from the juniper. Reminds me more of a lightly spiced old ale.

The feel is light to moderate with fizzy carbonation. Sweet on the palate but enough juniper to give a slight bitter balance. Drinks light and easy.

Definitely not as herbal and raw as the other that I have had. Seems more like a wheat old ale. Needs more juniper at a minimum.

A: Against the light appeared a deep crimson red with a strong sense of carbonation. A fizzy tan tinted head, only moderately retains while no appreciable lacing was observed.

S: Darken sweet malts, rum raisins, with a dried sweetness of molasses/syrup presents itself on the nose. Juicy ripe plums also come into play with an overall light to moderate strength. Decent, only wish it was more dominant.

T: Sweet juicy fruit, cherries, with plums and a light touch of fresh licorice opens things up on the initial flavor. A warming, almost boozy honey sweetness is detected midway through the experience along with a dry spiciness of cola and dried caramel. Things really sweeten up on the finish with honey, apple peels and a slight boozy and rye spiciness coming through with just a touch of licorice.

M: The mouthful was fullbodied with a honey-like consistency and texture. Visible carbonation was light providing just enough tingle along the tongues edges to get noticed while things close out with a slight spicy booziness.

D: Ok drinkability, warming with a wintery booziness and dried sweetness. Ones enough though at any given sitting. The flavor was good enough, but just about every other aspect was barely above par.

500 ml bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with about a half inch tan head that sticks around a little while. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is rich and malty, the brew smells like caramel malt, dark bread, herbs, and some dark fruit. The herbal and caramel flavors are strong in this brew. It also tastes like nuts, dark bread, and some dark fruit. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's syrupy and slick with low/moderate carbonation. I think this is a good brew, I liked it! $8.99 a bottle, I think it's worth trying at that price.

Bottle: Poured a clear brown color ale with a medium size off-white head with OK retention. Aroma of roasted malt is mostly dominant with some vague spice notes. Taste is dominated by roasted malt notes with light dry caramel and some distant spices notes. Body is light with medium carbonation. I thought this was short on character and not something I would seek again.

Aroma is woody, dusty, earthy right away. Tart fruitiness lingers in the background. Not sure about this...

Taste is nice, very complex. Earthy, woody flavor gives way to the fruitiness. Dried fruit, raisins, cranberry, with a touch of candy sweetness. Dried cherries. Oak. Finish is dry enough. Slight toffee, caramel. Some alcohol comes through. Juniper is there throughout it all, but not so its distracting. Dry, chalky, almost tannic in finish.

Carbonation is medium low. Good for style. Medium bodied.

Overall a really tasty, balanced, well made beer, very unique. I'm glad to have tried it. This will never be the most popular of styles but I think it has its place on a cold day when you want something besides a barleywine.

Pours out dark brown with two fingers of slightly tanned suds. Some lacing.
Grass and hops with an alcohol raisin and caramel finish.
Taste is kinda coffee like. I get a fig and sweet caramel with some bitterness/blackness at the very end. The alcohol does come through a little after the flavors leave the palate.
Mouthfeel is very good. You get this bitterness then the boozey feel then it all goes away in an instant. This is a cool beer.
Drinkability is good here too. Even though this is a 7.3%er, it has a great finish and makes you want more right away.